Referendum to legalize abortion in Portugal in 2007

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In the referendum on the legalization of abortion in Portugal in 2007 , which was held in Portugal on February 11, 2007 , the Portuguese population was able to decide on the legalization of voluntary abortion within the first ten weeks. Holding this referendum was one of the most important election promises of the Portuguese Socialists under José Sócrates . Ultimately, with 59.24 percent, a clear majority of the population decided in favor of the Portuguese government's proposal .

background

Election poster of the Bloco de Esquerda

Since the 1990s, there has been a social discussion in Portugal about how to deal with voluntary, self-chosen abortions . In particular, the conservative parties and the Catholic Church, which is very dominant in Portugal, vehemently advocated the opinion that abortions would constitute a kind of murder and therefore fundamentally rejected it. On the other hand, the left-wing parties took the view that Portuguese law should catch up with other states on this point and should allow self-chosen abortion. By 2007, abortions were permitted if the life or mental health of the mother was at risk in the event of (up to the 12th week) rape when to be born child (up to the 16th week), or a deformation possess or to suffer from an incurable disease (up to the 24th week). In the case of an illegal abortion, the mother could be punished with up to three years in prison. In Europe , Portugal was one of the countries with the strictest demolition laws, along with Poland , Ireland and Malta .

In the 1998 referendum on the legalization of abortion in Portugal , the Portuguese population should decide whether self-chosen abortion should be allowed up to the tenth week. At that time, a narrow majority (50.07 percent) decided against it. The issue continued to be discussed and played a role before the 2005 parliamentary elections . During the election campaign, José Sócrates , who later became Prime Minister, promised to repeat the referendum with the same question in the event of an election victory.

This referendum finally took place on February 11, 2007.

referendum

question

The question, which could only be answered with yes or no, was:

"Concorda com a despenalização da interrupção voluntária da gravidez, se realizada, por opção da mulher, nas 10 primeiras semanas, em estabelecimento de saúde legalmente autorizado?"

"Do you agree to the exemption from punishment for the termination of pregnancy within the first ten weeks if this takes place at the request of the mother and in a legally authorized health institution?"

While all left parties in parliament ( Partido Socialista (PS), Partido Comunista Português (PCP), Partido Ecologista Os Verdes (PEV), Bloco de Esquerda (BE)) without exception were in favor, the Catholic Church and the right-wing conservative Centro Democrático were particularly opposed e Social - Partido Popular (CDS-PP) this. The largest opposition party, the Partido Social Democrata (PSD), was divided and officially made no election recommendation. Nevertheless, its chairman Luís Marques Mendes in particular represented the opposing side and rejected the government's bill.

Result

Result of the referendum by district

Ultimately, a large majority (59.25 percent) of the population voted for the government's bill. 40.75 percent of voters voted against it. The turnout was only 43.57 percent, partly due to the bad weather. H. 3.84 million of the 8.49 million eligible voters took part.

answer be right percent
Yes 2,231,529 59.25
No 1,534,669 40.75
Voices 48.094 1.25
Invalid 25,884 0.67
voter turnout 3,840,176 ( 43.57)

The victory was also seen as confirmation of the policy of the socialist government of Sócrates , which ruled with an absolute majority for the first time in its history. Although according to the Portuguese constitution, the referendum was not legally binding as the turnout was below 50 percent, Prime Minister Sócrates decided to pass the law.

The law came into force on April 10, 2007 with the signature of the President Aníbal Cavaco Silva .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Abortion in Portugal. Referendum failed. ( Memento of December 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) n-tv, February 11, 2007
  2. ↑ Diário da República, 1.a série No 43 Mapa Oficial no 1/2007 (PDF; 89 kB) Official election result in the Diário da República
  3. ↑ Portugal wants to legalize abortion [Portugal will legalize abortion], news.bbc.co.uk, February 12, 2007